Far-right parties are shaping EU policy by teaming with conservatives to delay environmental laws and cut business regulations in Strasbourg
STRASBOURG: Far-right parties are increasingly influencing European Parliament decisions through new alliances with mainstream conservative groups.
The conservative European People’s Party has twice joined far-right blocs to dismantle key environmental legislation in recent weeks.
Earlier this month, these camps united to weaken a bill imposing social and environmental due diligence requirements on large corporations.
On Wednesday, they supported delaying a landmark anti-deforestation law by one year, with centrist Renew group members also backing the move.
A French National Rally lawmaker from the Patriots group declared “we’re at a tipping point” regarding the collapsing political firewall against far-right cooperation.
Green lawmaker David Cormand urged conservatives to clarify whether they plan to permanently shift their coalition strategy away from traditional pro-European partners.
Centrist lawmaker Laurence Farreng warned that “the floodgates have opened” regarding mainstream parties working with traditionally hostile forces.
French EPP member Celine Imart welcomed collaborating with different partners to “unravel all the Green Deal texts” from the previous parliamentary term.
The parliament’s rightward shift mirrors similar trends occurring among European Union member states.
European leaders including France’s Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Friedrich Merz initially advocated scrapping the corporate due diligence legislation.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s growing influence reflects a leadership vacuum among EU nations, with Macron domestically weakened and Merz facing coalition disputes.
In Strasbourg, Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party within the European Conservatives and Reformists group often bridges conservatives and far-right factions.
ECR lawmakers have secured important committee leadership positions including budget and agriculture chairs.
One parliament insider cautioned that the pro-European majority remains intact despite these new right-wing alliances.
The official predicted conservatives would still prefer centrist partners but might turn to far-right groups when negotiations prove difficult.
This emerging right-wing alliance could influence several sensitive policy areas in coming months.
Potential battlegrounds include challenging the 2035 combustion-engine car ban and advocating stricter migration policies. – AFP
